The Making of Us

Because I recently read and love The House We Grew Up In

by Lisa Jewell, I decided to take the advice of a friend and read The Making of Us, another one of her novels published a few years ago. And I loved it. Daniel is at the end of his battle with cancer and finally admits to his confidante Maggie that he did in fact have children many years ago but has never met them. In his early twenties as a struggling student he was a sperm donor. As the donor rules and process evolved over the years, he deeply regretted never having known anything about these humans carrying his DNA that were complete strangers. Lydia, Dean and Robyn have always felt something was missing. All three grew up without any siblings and possessed certain traits that always set them apart. Now in their twenties living near and around London, they received a notice from the sperm donor agency and with some hesitation agreed to the possibility of getting to know these relatives they had only dreamed about. Each has their own tale, searching for love and acceptance throughout their challenging childhoods. Sperm donation is a common topic that most people know little about. The protocols of finding distant siblings or possibility of being related to the girl next door are intriguing and a little scary. Lisa Jewell immediately draws the reader into the lives of these quirky characters. It is hard to imagine the many choices we would be faced with in a similar situation. The idea of family connection through genetics as opposed to who has raised you brings forth many questions and possibilities. I highly recommend this enjoyable, easy and most interesting novel!